The “Golden Age of Air Travel” was Cheap Costume Jewelry
Those vintage airline posters make it seem like we all missed out on something incredible, but you’ve been lied to.
“The Jet Age” in the 1960s brought big, fast, and loud airliners to cities across the globe. As the airlines grew through the years, pilots were treated as heroes. And because many of them were war veterans they, very often, were legit heroes.
I often refer to aviation in the 1970s as the “Catch Me If You Can” years, referring to movie scenes such as Leonardo DiCaprio dressed as a Pan Am pilot strutting through an airport with several flight attendants on each arm. Onlookers were excited by his mere presence, and children looked at him as if he were, well, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Many call this time period the “Golden Age of Air Travel” as if it were some amazing, magical time, but I couldn’t disagree more. Aside from some cool aircraft types, there was nothing happening back then that I would love to experience or bring back to today’s skies. Literally nothing. I would much rather fly in today’s industry than go back to what it was like before I was born (and, no, I was not alive in the 1970s).
Let’s dive into why the “Golden Age of Air Travel” was a cheap, bullshit, fugazi, green-finger special.
The Dollars and Cents of It
Air travel was a lot less accessible back then in terms of cost. If you look at airline advertisements that actually showed fares, you’ll certainly see dollar amounts that look similar to today, but when adjusted for inflation, it was 2-4 times as expensive back then.
That’s also why people wore suits when traveling. Not only was it just more common to dress up throughout society, but flying was generally reserved for the affluent. It’s not that you saw more people wearing suits, it’s that you just didn’t see many non-well-off people on airplanes.
Nowadays, say what you will about Spirit and Frontier, but $99 to go see grandma gets more Americans in the sky than ever before. This is a good thing.
A Smashing Good Time?
Not only do we give people more access to the skies these days, we also give them exponentially safer skies than ever before.
During the 1970s and 1980s, airline crash fatalities were in the double or triple digits annually, with many accidents breaking death toll “records” from previous accidents, so people regularly heard new crashes being referred to as “the worst accident in history.”
Today, even though so many more people fly each year than ever before, rates of fatal accidents have absolutely plummeted. There has been only one multi-fatality airline crash by a U.S. airline in the last 16 years. If you look at ANY 16-year period from aviation history, the number of fatal airline accidents would sit at several dozen at the least.
In 2025, I can get where I’m going in one piece. Screw the 1970s.
Plumes of smoke, not just from accidents
This is an easy one. Simply put, aircraft interiors smelled like cigarettes back then. Even flight decks had ash trays. Having worked in bars for years before most places banned indoor smoking, I can say I’m ecstatic about leaving that activity in the past. If after every flight I took these days I deplaned smelling like a pack of Newports I’d be pissed.
As for safety, I’m also a lot more comfortable knowing that dozens of people on an airplane 7 miles up are not holding paper wands of fire. Or is that just me?
Worse, before smoking was banned, lavatory fires were not uncommon. There are several documented cases of cigarette fires causing crashes and fatalities (another article on this is coming).
“Did you fly through the air, incredibly? Like a bird…”
When someone complains how people dress when they fly these days, I smile. I see it as a huge victory because that means that flying is so common, so accepted, so safe, and so accessible for so many more people than it was decades ago. If that is our chief complaint about air travel, then that means we’ve done a heck of a job. If our top priority is wearing sweatpants and lugging a pillow onto a flight to Orlando, then that is a great non-problem to have.
Although, don’t wear clothing that might restrict your ability to run in case of an evacuation. That one I stand by.
And keep your socks on while flying, nasty.
If you have a question about aviation, my career, or a story request, please email me at phildernerjr@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely my own and do not represent the positions of my employer or any affiliated organizations. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice.
I flew once in the late 70's. Smoking was terrible then. Even if I was one of the smokers. (Casinos are off limits for me for the same reason.)
The only thing I would want to go back to would be how they used to board flights. Great article and so true. I flew a lot growing up (my dad worked for Delta). I remember people smoking on planes in the 80s. But only cigarettes. No pipes or cigars. I did love the Tri-Star. It was my favorite plane as a kid.